Okay, so when it comes to food i’m no expert. That being said, I do know a good steak when I taste one! I like eating food at nice places with good service, a great wine list and a cosy, festive atmosphere. I recently went to a restaurant here in Cape Town called Simon’s. It’s situated at a beautiful wine farm called Groot Constantia and during the day, the views of the vineyards are heavenly. My mom and I ordered a steak with cooked veggies and our friend ordered the duck. Together we shared a bottle of Merlot and it was the perfect evening. The food there is very good and I can highly recommend it! For dessert we had a cheeseboard. I must say, it’s my new all-time favourite. It got me thinking about some of the best places I’ve been for dinner here in Cape Town, South Africa. If you live here, here’s a list of places I would recommend (I also include some coffee places that offer light lunches because we all love a good coffee and it’s nice to try somewhere new):

For Dinner

1. The Brass Bell along the Main Road in Kalk Bay

2. Top of The Ritz Revolving Restaurant at The Ritz Hotel along the Main Road in Seapoint

3. Aubergine at 39 Barnet Street in Gardens

4. Duchess of Wisbeach at 3 Wisbeach Road in Seapoint

5. Carne at 70 Keerom Street in the City Centre

For light lunch and coffee

1. Jason Bakery at 185 Bree Street in the City Centre

2. Birds Cafe at 127 Church Street in the City Centre

3. Clarke’s at 133 Bree Street in the City Centre

4. Cafe Nood at The Quadrant Square, Wilderness Road in Claremont

5. O’ways Tea Cafe at 20 Dreyer Street in Claremont

How about you? What’s your favourite thing to order when you eat out? Leave a comment below or tweet me at @TamikaDoubell.

Easter 2013

Posted on April 2, 2013 by tamikadoubell

Easter was awesome, exhilarating, special and delicious. For me, as a Christian, Easter is the true new year. It is the period from Good Friday to Easter Sunday (when Christ was crucified and when he was resurrected). It is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, culminating in the celebration of the resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament. He died on the cross to pay for our sins and allow us entry into God’s kingdom after death. His resurrection symbolizes the resurrection of all of us after death into Heaven, where our souls are very much alive and immortal in His eternal Kingdom (if we lived as Christians according to His Word). In short, his resurrection symbolizes new life. It sets Him apart from all the other historical figures in those times who claimed to be the Son of God because none of them came alive again after they died. This was a true miracle. Through doing this he proved that what he had been saying all along was true; Every miracle he performed and everything he preached about God and the way man must live on earth was true. It renews your faith, this time of year, and for me it only cements it. You look again at the important lessons of the Bible and the Ten Commandments and re-commit yourself to living the loving Christian lifestyle. Satan will always be around to throw us off track and we need to be strong. Of course we will always sin, no matter how hard we try, because we live in a fallen world. What sets you apart is your repentance and prayers for forgiveness. God guarantees us He will always forgive us if we confess our sins and repent.

Easter is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance which begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts forty days (not counting Sundays). The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, with the Wednesday before Easter being known as Spy Wednesday. The last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Easter is followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide, or the Easter Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday. The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called Easter Week or the Octave of Easter, and each day is prefaced with “Easter”, e.g. Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, etc.

It is a very holy time for me. I really enjoy the service on Easter Sunday, before sunrise on the day of resurrection. The service is very early and I am not usually a morning person, but for this I am! The Easter Vigil is performed during this service. This is the most important liturgy of the year, which begins in total darkness with the blessing of the Easter fire, the lighting of the large Paschal candle (symbolic of the Risen Christ) and the chanting of the Exultet or Easter Proclamation.

There’s something about the lighting of the fire and the candle that makes you feel reborn in a way. After this service of light, a number of readings from the Old Testament are read; these tell the stories of creation, the sacrifice of Isaac, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the foretold coming of the Messiah. This part of the service climaxes with the singing of the Gloria and the Alleluia and the proclamation of the Gospel of the resurrection. At this time, the lights are brought up and the church bells are rung, according to local custom. A sermon may be preached after the gospel. Then the focus moves from the lectern to the font. Anciently, Easter was considered the ideal time for converts to receive baptism, and this practice continues within Roman Catholicism and the Anglican Communion. It is traditional for the congregation to renew the vows of their baptismal faith at this point. The Easter Vigil concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist (known in some traditions as Holy Communion).

The whole service consists of 4 parts:

The Service of Light.
The Service of Lessons.
Christian Initiation, or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows.
The Holy Eucharist with the administration of Easter Communion.

Here is something interesting I found: The first recorded “Sunrise Service” took place in 1732 among the Single Brethren in the Moravian Congregation at Herrnhut, Saxony, in what is now Germany. Following an all-night vigil they went before dawn to the town graveyard, God’s Acre, on the hill above the town, to celebrate the Resurrection among the graves of the departed. This service was repeated the following year by the whole congregation and subsequently spread with the Moravian Missionaries around the world, including Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

So you see then the chocolate eggs are just the cherry on top for me Eggs symbolize the beginning of new life, fertility and abundance. And of course, chicks come from eggs and represent rebirth and springtime. Rabbits are known for their rapid reproduction and therefore also represent fertility and new life. So this is why these are popular symbols at Easter and why we eat them

How about you? How was your Easter? How did you celebrate?

Here is a gorgeous photo I found of the celebration of the Easter vigil at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris.

Baking Fruitburst Muffins

Posted on March 31, 2013 by tamikadoubell

So one of my ’3 Things’ this month was to bake. Anything. Well I recently took up the challenge and downloaded a great recipe from one of my favourite websites, BBC Good Food. I made ‘Fruitburst Muffins’ which are low-fat muffins with cinnamon, honey, cranberries and blueberries.

So here is the recipe (I didn’t put in the apricots and raisins because I don’t like either in muffins):

225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
50g butter, melted
175ml fat free milk
100ml clear honey
140g fresh blueberries
85g fresh cranberries
140g seedless raisins
140g dried apricots, chopped
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200C and lightly butter a 12-hole muffin tin. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the melted butter, milk & honey. Add to flour with the remaining ingredients. Combine quickly without overworking. Spoon mixture into the muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and pale golden on top.

I am very pleased with my successful muffins! One of them came out with what I call a ‘snout’! I have no idea why the mixture does this, it looks hilarious. I couldn’t resist snapping it off for a snack

I baked some killer spinach and feta phyllo pastries for the starter course to our Easter family meal, will share that soon!

I Live In Africa!

Posted on March 28, 2013 by tamikadoubell

I live in Africa, more specifically, South Africa. We are surrounded by so much beauty here every day that sometimes I have to sit back and thank God for all the many gorgeous sites he provides for us here. Around where I grew up on the east coast is a lion park. It’s called Seaview Lion Park. If you’re ever planning a trip to South Africa, this is where you wanna go. Don’t be fooled by the name though, they have many other animals there also.

We were recently there shooting their video profile. I absolutely love nature so this was a heavenly project for me! The park is really well-run and clean. Even though all the animals are in cages, trust me, they are well-looked after. They are very tame (i say ‘very’ rather cautiously) and seemed to be very sociable with all the tourists. Curious even.

These wild animals, believe me when you see them up close, are truly a marvel. You realize that there is so much out there we don’t know and I can’t believe anyone who meets them could believe there isn’t a God who created them.

1. Power. They are so huge in person and so strong (even the babies). I was just amazed that they didn’t hurt us. In the photos we are petting them. Don’t know how we did it, they could have taken us out at any moment they wanted! I remember we were filming a scene of a black panther and he got curious about our tripod. He came over a couple times and started pawing it (is that a verb?) Anyway! He was very gentle – even his gentle was quite impressive – but he didn’t aim at hurting anyone. To him it’s playing. Being friendly. It’s like they are emphatic and can tell when you mean them harm and don’t mean them harm. He could definitely have managed a good dent in the metal, and in any of us for that matter – good thing we caught him in time!

2. Beauty. Each of these animal is so majestic, just looking at them inspires you! Each are so different, just like us in this world, each with their own unique skills and talents to contribute to the ‘Greater Order’ of things! Not only are they beautiful, but they take moments to appreciate the beauty of the world they live in. Like this lion below feeling the cool wind on his face during a hot morning. How often do we stop to do that?

3. Connecting. My favourite part was when I petted the baby tigers! These animals can really teach you the value of connecting; to each other, to them, to life itself. And that is a thrill in itself! To feel you are connected to the world around you, to be open, to take a chance and maybe even a risk. For the sheer thrill of connecting with the wild spirit that lies fundamentally in each one of us. Life, and nature, is meant to be enjoyed wholeheartedly! Get out and experience it!

I encourage you to tweet this, pin this, facebook this or whatever your flavour is to SPREAD THE WORD!!

Oh, and all the photos were taken by my brother Dane Doubell on his CANON 5D MK II

(and yes, I get that Tigers are not native to Africa but the pics were sooooo gorgeous I simply had to include them anyway!)

Here is the gorgeous video we shot: SEAVIEW LION PARK SKYBOK PROFILE.

© Tamika Doubell and The Starlit Path, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Tamika Doubell and The Starlit Path with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Earth Hour 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by tamikadoubell

I love Earth Hour and what it’s about.

It’s a worldwide event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and held towards the end of March annually, encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change.

- Wikipedia

This year for Earth Hour I went down to Cape Town’s Waterfront where the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra played for the full hour, against a backdrop of the city’s beautiful harbour.

I really enjoyed the event, held in their open-air ampitheatre, and was super-impressed with the turn out and with the waterfront’s participation in turning off all their non-essential lights (including our no.1 tourist-stop, the Cape Town big wheel, our equivalent to the ‘London Eye’).

I wonder how it was in other countries around the world.

What did you do to celebrate Earth Hour?

Earth Hour at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront

Filming Vovo Telo for Skybok

Posted on March 24, 2013 by tamikadoubell

I’m very blessed in that, through the shoots we do for Skybok, I get to travel to so many different places, meet so many different people and – best of all – see amazing things. I’m remembering now back to a place we filmed in Cape Town called Vovo Telo. It’s a trendy little bar at the waterfront and they are really well-known for their coffees and pastries. I also love their pizzas and artisan breads. I’ve realised that the coffee culture truly has grown both here and internationally. Now, it’s becoming an art to pour the milk and mix the froth! The competition is on for who can make the best shapes on the top of the cappuccino nowadays. But for the most part I try not to get too sucked into drinking coffee for the sake of it. On the day we filmed their video profile, I just stuck to a peach iced tea. I love them and BOS is my new favourite make! How about you? Are you a coffee fiend?

To check out what we filmed, click HERE:

The COSMO Bartender of the Year Party

Posted on March 18, 2013 by tamikadoubell

This past week I attended a very fun event here in Cape Town, South Africa. It was held at the Shimmy Beach Club at the harbour. I loved the vibe of the evening. There were loads of people all gathered together to see who would win the coveted title of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartender of the Year (with prize money of R20 000)! Cosmopolitan magazine, in partnership with Collison’s White Gold Brandy, announced on 14 January this year the five guys and five girls who got the nod to compete for the title of “SA’s Hottest Bartender”. The 10 finalists for 2013 were featured in the February issue of Cosmo. Readers had the opportunity to scrutinize these movers and shakers of creative cocktails, and to vote for their favourite. The aim of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartender search every year is to find a bartender with the perfect combination of creativity and charisma, who has his or her craft honed to perfection.

The competition is not judged only on looks: each entrant has to submit an original cocktail recipe.

They will then be required to prepare their cocktails on the night of the big finale in Cape Town on 14 March, and the overall winner will walk away with the grand prize of R20 000.

The 10 finalists were:

Dillon Nuss from Taco Zulu, Durban
Le Riche Meyer from Carnival Court, Cape Town
Nicole Adams form Boulevard, Durban
Gabriella Trollip from Tiger Tiger, Cape Town
Domenico De Lorenzo from Molecular Bars, Johannesburg
Johnny Bezuidenhout from Café Caprice, Cape Town - WINNER
Robyn Horwitz from Movida, Johannesburg
Imaan Mac Quena from Jade Champagne Bar & Lounge, Cape Town
Nancy Ellis from Hooters, Durban
Donovan Prince from Café Caprice, Cape Town

I personally loved the girls. They had a lot of spunk and could definitely hold their own next to the boys. But I have to say, the boys had that cockiness that’s a huge crowd pleaser in something like this. Let’s put it this way……while the girls were smiling, doing a few dance moves from behind the counter and tamely stirring in the vodka, the boys were literally ripping their shirts off, jumping on the counter and flexing their tattoo-covered muscles while shaking that martini!

And let me just say .. HUBBA HUBBA! I mean, C’mon, They had us at HELLO

The winner was Johnny Bezuidenhout from Cape Town’s most popular beach bar Café Caprice and he was really deserving. MC Poppy Ntshongwana didn’t have a hard time handing over the cheque!

We shot Caprice‘s Skybok Profile a few months ago and for the video, we got Johnny to prepare a Mojito for us on-camera – check out his talent for yourself by watching it HERE.

A great performance was given by iScream & The Chocolate Stix after the show and I really enjoyed their performance. It’s nice to hear local bands singing good music. Check out their blog HERE.

Thank you to everyone involved for bringing us an awesome event!